Nan Rides for Fulbright: An Update
Almost halfway through her journey, Nan McEntire is going strong on her “Ride for Fulbright“. After completing over 1320 miles, Nan is currently in Kansas and making her way through the Midwest.
Nan’s route across America
Officially departing on May 12th, the first mission of Nan’s journey was making it through California. She enjoyed seeing a traditional dipping wheel in the Pacific Ocean on Manhattan Beach, and struggled through a gale of strong winds in Palm Springs. “The wind was constant at about 30 miles per hour,” she reports. “I don’t weigh that much, and I about got blown off the bike!” Nan stayed resolute and made it through.
Nan is riding to raise awareness and donations for the Fulbright Association, and what better way to keep true to her mission than by meeting Fulbrighters along the way? In Los Angeles, Nan was able to meet with Greater LA Chapter Vice President Jalal Awan, who treated her to dinner and presented her with a bouquet of flowers for good luck. (Nan hopes to meet Jalal’s sister as well when she gets to Kansas!) In Arizona, she met Fulbrighters Rick Szal and Nancy Currey, board leaders from the local Chapter. Nan has been grateful from the warm hospitality she has received from the Fulbright community. The opportunity to talk about Fulbright, travel, international issues, as well as share stories, breaks up the long journey and keeps her goal front and center. A Chapter president herself, the bike ride is an exciting, if unusual, chance to network with other local associations!
The Fulbright Association is so grateful for Nan’s “Ride for Fulbright” and all the support we have received so far. Fulbrighters from all corners of the network have shared words of encouragement.
“Great cause,” says John Sherwood. “Keep pedaling your velo, fahrrad, bicicletta, велосипед, 自行车, or whatever language is spoken in the countries Fulbrighters come from or travel to.”
Renee Cooper commented, “Thank you Nan for continuing the FULBRIGHT mission! As a 2013 Fulbright Lecturer Scholar I share your sentiments and passion! #StandForFulbright #Fulbright #FulbrightGNY. Ride on!!!”
“Representatives of the Greater Pittsburgh Area Chapter of the Fulbright Association are hoping to catch up with Nan in Niles, OH in mid-June,” wrote Chapter president Timothy Austin. “Looking forward to cheering you on!”
On behalf of the Fulbright Association office in DC, we would like to join the chorus and give a heartfelt “Go Nan!” If you would like to make a pledge for Nan or leave your own words of encouragement, click here.
–Alison Aadland
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Chapter Spotlight: Greater Los Angeles
The Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Fulbright Association held its Fulbright Film Festival on May 4th, 2019. Held in collaboration with the New York Film Academy College of Visual & Performing Arts (NYFA) and supported by the Bureau Of Educational And Cultural Affairs Of The U.S. Department Of State, the Fulbright Association – Los Angeles Film Festival showcased extraordinary films made through the creative contributions of Fulbrighters. After months of planning, and thanks to the efforts of volunteers across the state, the 8-hour festival was a resounding success.
“This is an activity that has been in our minds for the last couple of years,” says Chapter board member Miguel Cruz, who organized and curated the event. Miguel is a Spanish Fulbright alum and is himself a successful film and television director. “Being as Los Angeles is the capital of the media industry, an event that presented the work of Fulbrighters to the Hollywood industry seemed a natural and necessary event in the Calendar of this town. The fact that the New York Film Academy counted already with a remarkable body of work of our many Fulbrighters, and their support and know-how in the organization of this kind of event, made it easy to give the necessary steps to organize it.”
Held at the New York Film Academy Theatre, over 100 Fulbrighters and friends attended to celebrate the accomplishments of fellow alumni in the film industry. The festival featured a range of films directed, produced, or contributed by Fulbright grantees and alumni from all over the world, including Sri Lanka, Peru, Estonia, Ukraine, Spain, Mexico, Armenia, Costa Rica, Denmark, and the United States – each with a unique theme and style that represented the diversity of Fulbright.
Dr. Jose Siles, President of the Greater Los Angeles Chapter, and Dr. Susan Ashe, NYFA’s Dean of Students, offered opening remarks. “It was extremely inspiring and touching to see how the vision of Senator Fulbright of promoting mutual understanding among people from different countries, cultures and social backgrounds was so well reflected and empowered by the work of our Fulbright filmmakers,” says Jose.
In addition to showcasing films, the festival held a special panel discussion, “Hollywood for Fulbrighters”. The panel included Fulbrighters Santiago Pozo, who is known for his work in advertising for marketing entertainment and film to U.S. Latino audiences, Arturo Diaz, the Netflix Executive for Latin-American Originals, Mikko Alannen, a showrunner for the National Geographic Channel, and Miguel Cruz, who directed the sitcom “Aida” and the film “Vulnerable” and is head of NYFA’s Fulbright Initiatives. Under the moderation of Crickett Rumley, NYFA’s Director of Festivals, this panel opened discussion on how Fulbright offers diversity and intercultural perspective to the film industry.
The festival finished the evening with a reception, where Fulbrighters and NYFA students had the chance to share their own experiences and thoughts on film and Fulbright. They were joined by Fulbright representatives including Ann Kerr, who is California’s Fulbright Enrichment Program Coordinator, and Manuel Valle, a Spanish Trade Commissioner.
“The movies were the best ambassadors of the Fulbright values,” says Miguel. “Their origin: 12 different countries. Their themes: diversity, acceptance, understanding, overcoming injustice, and inequality. The deep silence in the room demonstrated the wonderful minds of the artists behind the meaningful topics treated. Only a Fulbright Film Festival could put together such a relevant selection of movies!”
The Greater Los Angeles Chapter plans to keep the momentum going with future events, including their upcoming annual Fulbright Association Members Reception and a Fulbright Night at the Opera. The chapter is also planning another exciting new event: in celebration of the 238th birthday of Los Angeles, they are planning a Fulbright Music Festival, which will share the message of Fulbright through music.
Those interested in joining the Greater Los Angeles Chapter can officially enroll by logging in to their accounts. To view our full chapter network, please click here.
Featured Institution: Morgan State University
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution with 100+ academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland’s Preeminent Public Urban Research University, Morgan serves a multi ethnic and multiracial student body, seeking to ensure that higher education is as open and available as possible to all. Designated a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan is the largest of Maryland’s historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and its 152-acre campus is situated in northeast Baltimore.
The university has been affiliated with the Fulbright Program for more than 65 years and holds the definitive distinction of leading all other HBCUs for producing the most Fulbright Scholars. Continuing its dedication to Fulbright, Morgan became an institutional member in 2014, and has continued the Fulbright mission through alumni and community engagement.
“Morgan State University has had a long and positive history with the Fulbright Program, beginning in 1951, when Dr. Sandye Jean McIntyre, II, was appointed Morgan’s Fulbright Program Adviser,” said Carleen S. Leggett, Ph.D., current Fulbright Program Director at Morgan. Since instituting the Fulbright program, Morgan State University has produced 144 Fulbright awardees initiating international studies in 43 different countries. Moreover, 51 MSU professors or administrators (none of whom were Morgan graduates) have earned 73 “Senior Fulbright” awards to 42 countries.
“Fulbright Students and Scholars from Morgan have often stressed not only the academic advantages of teaching, studying, or doing research in a foreign milieu, but the personal and cultural rewards as well, the enlightenment gained from close contact with other languages and ways of life,” continued Dr. Leggett. “The success of the Fulbright Program at Morgan State University is a very important and prestigious mark of distinction for the University as it continues to expand its international impact.”
For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.
–Jordan Bradford
Alumni Profile: Stephen Cottrell
The English novelist George Orwell best captured my first experience in Vietnam with his penetrating words, “If the war didn’t kill you it was bound to start you thinking.” Having survived the former, I became a huge fan of the latter.
It can be safely assumed that many readers of this article have experienced defining moments in their lives and the choices made at those junctures have set them on paths far different from their earlier expectations: meeting their spouse, child birth, winning the lottery. The morning I received my Fulbright letter was such a moment; a simultaneous rush of both excitement and shock as my mind processed the words “congratulations” and “Vietnam” in the same sentence. Although time has been merciful to this veteran it did not dull certain “bad days” there. With some trepidation I agreed to teach at Nha Trang University for a year.
Dr. Stephen Cottrell interviewing a survivor while doing research on Cambodian internal migration patterns post Khmer Rouge
Although my Fulbright topic focused on geography’s physical and cultural influences on the societal ethos and, by extension, on its higher education leadership traits, it was not to be. I quickly learned that the Vietnamese psyche is far too opaque for such a transparent approach. As in other tradition-oriented cultures, indirect approaches are far more user friendly in getting the job done. That said, I opted for the back-door model and discovered a classic goodness-of-fit when interacting both with academia and navigating through my daily life. Apart from my academic goals, my deeply personal agenda was to live in and observe a culture that had set in motion profound changes in America’s consciousness. Early into my grant the academic and personal challenges seemed a bit daunting but now I am certain that I made the right decision.
Touching down at Tan Son Nhat airport after far too many hours in an economy seat next to my wife, a daughter, two grandchildren and a Raggedy Anne doll named LeRoy, we staggered into the hot Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) night to collect our survival gear for the coming year: ten large suitcases, three back packs and a sea bag full of diapers and baby formula. It was SHOW TIME in my parallel universe! Time to set aside Kafkaesque realpolitik thinking and shift my attention to the crucial matters at hand i.e. not losing the grandkids, passports or luggage while processing through immigration. With the exception of a few bureaucratic episodes not worth mentioning beyond mentioning, we stepped out of the airport and into our Vietnam experience.
As earlier noted, although the U.S. embassy and Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training were in support of my academic proposal, it didn’t travel well from the capital Hanoi to my host city of Nha Trang. In short, much of what I wanted to accomplish didn’t find traction at my host university and much that I had never even considered doing became commonplace. At one of our early State Department “check your culture at the door” sessions, I mentioned that I was being underutilized at my host institution. The seven other Fulbrighters who were posted throughout Vietnam chimed in with the same concern. It seemed that our American “Can Do” attitude had begun to show. Upon reflection, we concluded that we were displaying the typical missionary zeal that seems to afflict many Americans living in foreign lands. I recall one embassy official hastily reminding us that the whole world recognizes Americans as workaholics…including the Vietnamese. My take-a-way was, “Don’t fall in love with your plan… adjust accordingly.”
Admittedly, although I had a well-constructed albeit overly ambitious academic goal, my host university had other plans for me. With the embassy’s blessing I embraced the “Go with the Flow” mantra when asked to do this or that by my Vietnamese colleagues. I had decided that they knew more about their needs than I so my clarion call became, “Great! I’ll start today.” Consequently, it didn’t take long before Vietnamese faculty invited me to “di di café den – go for coffee” (a euphemism for a multitude of activities done off campus…a delightful French colonial holdover). As a consequence of long hours spent in the open-air coffee houses along Nha Trang’s beautiful beaches more was accomplished than I could have ever imagined. Since every coffee house was Wi-Fied and the university electricity shut down on what seemed to be a conveniently regular basis the campus regularly evacuated en masse for coffee. Group work on a wide variety of research papers, grants, and graduate coursework ruled the day. Most young faculty were enrolled in graduate programs that had to be finished before they were a certain age. If not, the options at the university were severely curtailed…similar to tenure. Consequently, I drank far too much coffee at no charge.
Dr. Stephen Cottrell presents a lecture on critical thinking at Hong He (Red River) University in Yunnan Province China
Living in a local neighborhood with neighbors such as the Seeing Hands massage parlor operated by the blind, a granny named Ba Bai hawking hot Ban Mi Thit (a delicious spicy sandwich wrapped in a hot French baguette) and the one armed army veteran who gave sidewalk piano lessons on his well-worn key board all provided insight into an ancient culture that had the tenacity and determination to dispose of a litany of foreign powers over the centuries.
As consumerism makes inroads into the Vietnamese value system the younger generation seems to be soul searching to discover what cultural attributes they must abandon to participate in a modern Vietnam and at what cost. Senator J. William Fulbright captured this inner struggle in his book, Arrogance of Power, “What they fear, I think rightly, is that traditional Vietnamese society cannot survive the American economic and cultural impact”. I believe that the jury is still out on that particular fear.
Sixty percent of Vietnamese are under the age of 30. Consequently, they do not carry the same baggage as their (or our) older generation about the American War. One perky student asked my age in an American culture class that I taught and when I informed her she quite innocently used a new word that we had studied earlier that morning…” Dr. Stephen, you walking relic!” Vietnamese are moving forward with focused youthful exuberance and their government seems to be running to catch up.
In part, due to my year in Vietnam I believe that Mississippi State University now has the potential to build a strong academic relationship with my host university and with student candidates in no less than 11 cities that I visited throughout that nation. When my Fulbright work required travel MSU recruiting materials went along. Parents and students from Ca Mau in the south to Sa Pa along the Chinese border and nine cities in between are now aware of MSU’s offerings. We have established the seeds of working relationships with the parents of several academically gifted Vietnamese students (six enrolled now at MSU and three in the pipeline), a doctoral student candidate who specializes in pig diseases and who speaks French, Chinese, Vietnamese and English. In addition, Nha Trang University administration seems happy with my contribution to three successful Royal Norwegian grants. I’m told that the grant successes aided in the vice director of their biodiversity and environment institute visiting the MSU campus to discuss partnerships. These are but a sampling of the academic take-a-ways that may be the consequence of my Fulbright experience. I would like to think that the give-a-ways are of similar quality but I can only measure that by the warm e-mails regularly received from parents of current and future MSU students and the ongoing requests from Nha Trang University and Vietnam National University-Hanoi faculty to continue editing their graduate papers and research grants.
Shakespeare wrote a few words that capture my feelings about Vietnam today: “I like this place and willingly could waste my remaining days in it”.
–Dr. Stephen Cottrell
Fulbright to Thailand (2007), Japan (2009), Vietnam (2013-2014)
Career Corner: Using Summer Wisely
The summer is upon us. Life naturally takes on a different rhythm during this season. The days are longer, and this frequently leads to a burst of energy in the evening. We also tend to socialize more, often around holidays like Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day (at least in the U.S.). There are friends and family that we only see during this time of year. And, of course, many of us try to pack in vacation during the summer.
David J Smith — career coach, author, and Fulbrighter
The hiring process tends to be slower in the summer. With organizational fiscal years often starting in the fall (the U.S. federal government fiscal year starts October 1), summer is a time when planning is the priority. As such, making major decisions on hiring staff is something that is kicked backed until the fall. In addition, vacation impedes hiring in several ways. Human resources managers take off, but more importantly, hiring committees might have a difficult time getting together because of vacation. For instance, if you are thinking about a career in a college or university in a research or teaching position, getting hired in the summer is unlikely since faculty are off. Generally, decisions about hiring in academia have been made by late spring. Overall fewer jobs are listed, and for open positions, the recruitment process can be very slow.
As such, summer planning might be better than summer applying. Use the summer months to engage in those activities that require engagement with others (it’s really the best time of the year to be networking) and do those things that improve your overall well-being and fortify you for a fall career campaign.
Here are a couple of suggestions:
- Attend events, both professional and social ones. The summer is packed with parties and receptions, some personal and some work related. Summer is no time to be a wallflower. Commit to being in as many “spaces” as you can (meaningful ones, of course). Summer is prime networking season.
- Engage in healthy and connective activities. Take advantage of the better weather to see to your physical and psychological health: hike, camp, swim, eat well, and sleep in when you can. Also, connect with friends, colleagues, and family through events and one on one get-togethers. Often during the hustle and bustle of the year, we lose track of friends or colleagues. Why not have coffee now, especially when you can have your iced latte outside?
- Develop a strategic plan for the fall. Now is the time to think and plan. Make lists and collect your thoughts on how you will go about looking for work in the fall. Planning to find work is looking for work! The better planning you do now, the better the execution in the fall. You can line up informational interviews and put in applications in September, plan conferences to attend in October (like the Fulbright Association conference in DC in October), and focus on interviewing in November and December. Of course, your plans might change, but having a plan of action that you can put in motion in early September will lessen your anxiety about looking for work, and make the process more efficient.
- Make space for quiet time. Networking and even planning can be exhausting. The summer is a good time to do nothing! Studies show the benefits of disengagement with others and work (and social media). This disengagement and “nothingness” offers some mental rest and promotes creativity.
- Finally, take a vacation. Though there are other times of the year when vacation takes place, the summer allows for outside and physical activities. The beach or the mountains, makes no difference, getting out may be the best means of improving your mental health and wellness. If you don’t, once the fall comes, you might regret it.
Enjoy your summertime! Use the time to renew your commitments, think big and envision your future. But also connect with your humanity.
—David J. Smith
David J. Smith (Fulbright Scholar, Estonia 2003-2004) is a career coach and the author of Peace Jobs: A Student’s Guide to Starting a Career Working for Peace (Information Age Publishing 2016). He is on the career advisory board of the Peace and Collaborative Development Network. David writes regularly on career issues at davidjsmithconsulting.com. He can reached at davidjsmith@davidjsmithconsulting.com.
Announcing: New Logo
We are excited to share important news affecting the Fulbright community worldwide. On the 22nd of May, the Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board unveiled a rebranding of the Fulbright Program, with a new logo and mission-driven language.
In coordination with all Fulbright-related organizations around the world, the Fulbright Association is joining this effort, and we are pleased to share our new logo. You will find this now on our website and all social media channels. Over the coming days, all of our chapters will make the same transition.
Why is this happening? The new logo is part of a wider effort to put the Fulbright’s mission front and center, conveying the Program’s prestige without being elitist. The messaging and the logo emphasize the impact on mutual understanding, the exchange of knowledge and solutions to complex global challenges.
How did we get here? The State Department and its partners have spent several years developing this rebranding, interviewing over 100 Fulbrighters, educators and others worldwide, surveying over 1,000 U.S. college students, and analyzing Fulbright’s coverage in the U.S. media.
We hope that you are excited by this rebranding and the new logos for Fulbright and the Fulbright Association. You can celebrate by getting your new Fulbright t-shirt, and catching up with Nan McEntire, as “Nan Rides for Fulbright” across the U.S—sporting the new brand!
You can also celebrate by taking action right now to ensure Fulbright’s continued funding by Congress. If you haven’t signed the petition, do that right now. If you have, but didn’t send a quick email, then click here to contact Congress. Both will take just a minute and help ensure the future of Fulbright!
Celebrating the Life of Fulbright Prize Laureate Richard Lugar
The Fulbright Association mourns the passing of Richard Lugar, former Indiana senator and the 2016 recipient of the J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding. Senator Lugar was known for his leadership in foreign policy, his bipartisanship approach to decision-making, and his passion for pursuing global citizenship. His political career, marked with compassion and pragmatism, won him the respect and friendship of Republicans and Democrats alike.
As a Fulbright Prize laureate, the Association recognized Lugar’s support of international diplomacy. Serving as the Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 1985-87 and again from 2003-07, Senator Lugar occupied the position that Senator Fulbright himself once held. In response to the attacks on September 11, 2001, he co-sponsored the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange Study Program, which awards scholarships to students from countries with significant Muslim populations to study in the United States. He was a strong supporter of nuclear nonproliferation, and co-sponsored the Nunn–Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program.
“It’s important because the Program is fundamental, not only to the foreign policy of the United States, but to the building of relationships among nations,” said Senator Lugar on his strong support for the Fulbright Program. “The opportunity for students – who are going to be leaders – to be in other environments, to understand different disciplines, different histories, is a remarkable explosion of talent and interest. The momentum of this must continue.”
He was awarded the Prize in a ceremony that was followed by the opening ceremony of the 2016 annual conference in Washington, DC. Representative Joaquin Castro (Texas District 20) attended to give a speech in his honor. The Prize recognizes and rewards outstanding contributions toward bringing peoples, cultures, or nations to greater understanding of others. Other awardees include South African president Nelson Mandela, United States president Jimmy Carter, Secretary-General to the United Nations Kofi Annan, and most recently, German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
“When he walked across the stage at our 2016 conference, Richard Lugar carried with him the seriousness of purpose that characterized his work and a vision of hope, like that of Senator Fulbright, that we could shape a better world,” said Nancy Neill, who presented the Prize to Senator Lugar as the 2016 President of the Fulbright Association.
Among Senator Lugar’s many other accolades, former president Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013. Along with Senator Joe Biden, his partner on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, received the Crescent of Pakistan in recognition for his multifaceted support for Pakistan in 2008. In 2005, the American Foreign Service Association awarded him the Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy Award. His legacy continues in the Lugar Center, a nonprofit and bipartisan public policy institution established to provide research-based advice on some of the issues most important to the senator: global food security, the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction, foreign aid effectiveness, and bipartisan governance.
Senator Lugar will be remembered as a dear friend to the Fulbright community.
–Alison Aadland
Nan Rides for Fulbright
“My Fulbright in 2010 in Ireland was an outstanding experience,” says Nan McEntire. “I want to make sure that Fulbright continues to provide a strong and viable professional program for teachers and scholars throughout the world.”
Nan’s route across the United States
Many Fulbright alumni share Nan’s passion for promoting and protecting the Program. But not many go through such great lengths – literally – to do it. To raise money and awareness for the Fulbright Association’s mission, Nan plans to cycle coast-to-coast across America in a six-week journey. She will meet Fulbrighters and other friends of the Program along the 3400-mile trip.
At 72 years of age, Nan is a veteran cyclist. “A bicycle has been my number one mode of transportation for most of my life,” she says. “I rode a bike to Indiana State University for all of my teaching years because I was to cheap too pay for an annual parking permit, and I also ride everywhere here in Salt Lake City.”
As the President of the Utah Chapter of the Association, Nan also is serious about giving back to the Program from which she received so many priceless experiences. She has led the Chapter through a range of activities, from potlucks to hikes in Big Cottonwood Canyon.
Nan is riding with CrossRoads Cycling, an organization that gives participants the option of raising money for non-profit causes of their choice. Her cycling team will embark from Los Angeles on May 11, and plan to finish their long journey on June 29 when they ride into Boston. As they pass through 15 different states, covering an average of 90 miles per day, the group will take in the local sites and landmarks.
Would you like to support Nan’s ride? Click here to make a pledge. All donations will go directly to the Fulbright Association.
–Alison Aadland
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April 2019: Advocacy Update
Fulbrighters love a challenge. We imagined an adventure overseas (which also means coming to the U.S.) as an optimistic act of discovery and diplomacy. We then tackled the unexpected problems of living that adventure, and then we returned, eager to give back to the communities—and the taxpayers—who had funded our grants.
Our current and ongoing challenge is how to help the Fulbright Program steer through the stormy waters of this political era. And, like shipmates tossed about by a squall, we know the answer to that challenge is to work together and throw our full and collective energies into weathering that storm.
Right now, you can join this “crew” of tenacious Fulbrighters by signing our petition and contacting your representatives in Congress, asking them to continue funding the Program at $271.5 million. Your voice is essential, and taking these actions will take only a few minutes, if you have not already.
As of this writing, over 3000 of you have signed the petition—and we want to reach 10,000. Nearly 500 have sent a communication to Congress, and we hope for many more. Writing directly to your representative, using this link, is a powerful opportunity to tell your own story to those who make funding decisions. Please do so, even if you have signed the petition already.
You can also join us for Advocacy Day on October 24, connected this year to our Annual Conference here in Washington, DC. Look for our registration announcement on May 15, and then join what we hope will be the largest group of Fulbrighters and friends ever to visit Capitol Hill at one time.
Some updates:
- Our spring Advocacy Day, scheduled for February, was cancelled due to a second possible government shutdown. Sometimes it is better to avoid a storm. The cancelation was an inconvenience to many registered advocates, and we apologize.
- President Trump eventually signed a spending bill for the State Department that included $271.5 million for the Fulbright Program. This 13% boost in spending from $240 million was a budgetary wash, however, as it represents a transfer of funds for the Fulbright in Egypt, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
- Association members in New Hampshire, Florida, Kentucky, and Missouri visited state and district congressional offices in April. We thank them for taking the time to speak directly to these offices about the Fulbright, telling stories of the impact of the program here and overseas. (Inspired by this work, folks in Kentucky and Missouri are starting the process of opening the first Association chapters in those states.)
–John Bader
Executive Director
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In Memory of Charity Sunshine Tillemann-Dick
It is not the custom of this newsletter to mark the passing of Fulbrighters. Perhaps we should, as the world is diminished each time we lose a member of our extraordinary community.
But sometimes, that loss is so painful, when that person is young, that we should pause, grieve and remember. This is one such moment, which I share for personal reasons—and so ask your forgiveness.
On April 23, a bright light was lost, a “sunshine” extinguished with the death of Charity Sunshine Tillemann-Dick, a Fulbrighter to Hungary. Charity was an exceptional soprano with a promising career when, 15 years ago, she was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension, a fatal condition that made singing nearly impossible.
She later told the story of the journey that followed—barely surviving one double lung transplant and then another, enduring family tragedies, and then suffering from skin cancer—in her memoir “The Encore.” And yes, she did sing again, gloriously. That story is documented better than I can by the Washington Post, the BBC, CBS News, CNN, and NY Daily News.
I first met Charity when she came to my office at Johns Hopkins University to ask my help to apply for a Fulbright to Hungary. She came from a prominent Hungarian-American family—her grandfather was longtime congressman and Holocaust survivor Tom Lantos, a native of Budapest—and she wanted to study at the Liszt Academy there. It took two attempts, but she did go on that Fulbright.
Like many of us, she did not expect the experience she lived. While she did study voice at the Academy, she gained insight into the challenges posed by a repressive political regime. In 2017, she shared that experience—and her extraordinary singing talents—as the keynote speaker at the Fulbright Association’s annual conference.
In her address, she saw the parallels between the physical challenges of her transplants and the cultural challenges of international exchange:
As we engage in the communities we visit, the Fulbright tempers the immune system and the fellow is the transplant, allowing foreign to sit with the native, bringing vital tools for the future and reciprocating with a chance for a new understanding of life.
I saw her one last time, only months ago. She clearly was losing her battles, but it never occurred to me to worry or to say goodbye. It was impossible to think that someone so vivacious, so optimistic, so thoroughly joyous to be alive could ever die. Yet here we are, and the Fulbright world is less bright today as we lose one of our most extraordinary talents, taken from us far too soon.
–John Bader
Executive Director